Harry here. I get a lot of questions from people asking for my advice on the “best car” to buy as a rideshare driver. While there’s a lot that goes into choosing a car to drive for rideshare (UberX, Uber XL, your budget, if you should lease instead of buying, etc.) there are still ways to find which cars make the most financial sense. Today, RSG contributor Curtis Preston takes an in-depth look at the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) on a variety of popular rideshare vehicles, including the Toyota Prius. So does the Prius come out on top? Keep reading to see!

If you’re thinking of rideshare driving but don’t have a car yet, check out our Vehicle Marketplace here. You’ll find leasing options as well as rentals, which can be a great idea if you want to try out a particular type of car or just see if you even like rideshare driving 🙂

Ever taken a ride as a passenger, either for Uber/Lyft or a taxi? Chances are, you were probably in a Toyota Prius. If you’re considering purchasing a new or used car to be a rideshare driver, a Prius may seem like the obvious choice, but is it the best car for the job?

For reference, I purchased a 2013 Toyota Prius with only 15,000 miles on it, and I also own a 2011 Honda Fit. But I do almost all of my ridesharing with the Prius.

Make Every Mile Count

Did you know that every 1,000 business miles can generate $535 in tax deductions? Never miss another mile with the new QuickBooks Self-Employed automatic mileage tracker.

Harry here. Today, senior RSG contributor Christian Perea takes a look at a new technology for rideshare drivers called Navdy. It’s a heads up display unit with a lot of potential to make driving safer and easier.

Whenever I hear about “new technology” in the context of rideshare, it always seems centered around self-driving cars (and how we are doomed). But I think there’s a big market for technology that makes driving simpler and safer for humans, today. Especially since rideshare driving involves shifting our focus between pings, passengers and more.

It would be cool to look through my sunglasses and see traffic conditions, passenger location, and police cars all by looking around in real-time (like in the F-35, but for traffic instead of MiG’s). And while we don’t have that quite yet, we’re actually a lot closer than you may think.

A few months ago, I met up with a company called Navdy and checked out their new product to see how it might help rideshare drivers. Right now, phones and cars are not really built to work together and, as rideshare drivers, this problem is exacerbated. But Navdy has developed an augmented reality device for the car you already own and the company’s goal is to essentially integrate your driving with your phone.

My definition of a private fleet owner is someone (individual or company) who owns at least one car that they rent out or lease to an Uber driver. Private fleet owners have always been common on UberBlack and UberSelect (and on UberX in New York) because there are high start-up costs to owning a vehicle on those platforms.

UberBlack requirements include commercial insurance and TCP licensing while UberSelect requirements are similar to UberX but you also need a mid-level luxury vehicle. Since not many drivers want to go through the hassle of getting signed up or can even afford a luxury car, they often turn to UberX. But over the past year, we’ve seen a proliferation of fleet owners starting to offer UberX eligible vehicles to new drivers.

We do have a list of recommended fleet owners by region on our vehicle marketplace, but there are thousands of fleet owners out there and they advertise everywhere from Craigslist to Facebook or even in person flyers. If you’re considering driving for a private fleet owner, it’s important that you understand what you’re getting into and that you compare your options to make sure you’re getting the best deal.

A private or local fleet owner could make a lot of sense if you don’t have the credit to get approved with Uber’s Xchange Leasing program or if it just isn’t available in your city yet. There are private fleet owners in every city in the US, but it can be tough to find them.

About

I'm Harry, the owner and founder of The Rideshare Guy Blog and Podcast. I used to be a full-time engineer but now I'm a rideshare blogger! I write about my experience driving for Uber, Lyft, and other services and my goal is to help drivers earn more money by working smarter, not harder. Read More…

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